TheiPhone 11is here, and it’s theiPhone XRsuccessor we always wanted. Apple built on the iPhone XR’s solid base, adding another capable camera lens and updating the internal specs with the Californian company’s latest A13 Bionic processor. It’s a powerful and capable device, and when you throw Apple’s great looking design into the mix, it all adds up to a fantastic $699 smartphone.
Fast charge capable (Additional charger needed)
Qi wireless charging
QuickCharge 2.0
Performance, battery life, and charging
Thanks to the high powered processors in both of these phones, you’ll get smooth flagship performance regardless of your choice. The iPhone 11 is powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic processor, which offers all the grunt you’ll need for modern 3D games and resource-heavy apps. While we haven’t completed our tests yet, the A13 is probably superior to the Galaxy S10e’s Snapdragon 855 in benchmark results — though it’s unlikely there’s a big difference in day-to-day use.
As a quick aside though, there’s a significant difference in the storage options offered. While the iPhone 11 has the option for 256GB of storage, the $699 model only comes with 64GB, while the S10e starts from 128GB. In addition, the S10e has room for a MicroSD card, offering up to an extra 1TB of storage. It’s something to keep in mind if you save a lot of movies or take a lot of pictures.
Moving over to the battery life, the iPhone 11 improves on its predecessor with solid all-day battery life. Battery life is definitely a weak point for the S10e though, with Samsung’s phone just about making it through the day. Both have wireless and fast charging, but only the S10e comes with a fast charger in the box — Apple only includes a slow 5W charger with the iPhone 11, which is a major disappointment.
Despite the slower charging, we’re giving this round to the iPhone 11 for its larger battery and strong performance.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11
Design and durability
The iPhone 11 looks almost identical to the iPhone XR and that’s no bad thing — unless youdislike the notchor the significant camera bumps on the back. The S10e is slightly smaller than the iPhone 11, but that’s no bad thing for those with smaller hands. The bezels on the iPhone 11 are slightly thicker than the S10e, but that is contrasted with the iPhone 11’s great looking back panel, while the S10e’s rear looks a little dated.
What of durability? The glass on both phones means you’ll probably wantan iPhone 11 caseoran S10e caseregardless, but there is significant water-resistance thanks to theIP68-ratingson both. The S10e also has a headphone jack.
This category is too close to call. Though we prefer the iPhone overall, the camera bump spoils it somewhat — but the S10e isn’t perfect either. This has to be a tie.
Winner: Tie
The iPhone 11 is sporting the same 6.1-inch Liquid Retina (also known as LCD) display as the iPhone XR. The 1,792 x 828 resolution is good, but it’s nowhere near as crisp as the S10e’s 2,280 x 1,080 resolution. The S10’s Dynamic AMOLED screen is also just generally superior to the iPhone, with inky blacks and bright colors only really possible on an AMOLED display. The punch-hole Infinity-O display will also be preferable to anyone who dislikes the iPhone 11’s notch. The S10e wins hands down.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10e
The Galaxy S10e is packing two lenses in its main rear camera module, a 12-megapixel main lens with variable aperture and optical image stabilization and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens for capturing those wide landscapes. It’s a great camera that takes excellent photos — but it can struggle with poorly lit scenes.
While we haven’t tested it yet, the iPhone 11 shouldn’t struggle with low lighting as it comes with Apple’s new Night Mode. It also adds an ultra-wide-angle 12-megapixel lens to the iPhone XR’s 12-megapixel lens, and it’s an impressive-looking setup. The biggest new addition is probably to the front, though. The TrueDepth camera has been upgraded to 12-megapixels, but it can now also take slow-motion selfies (slofies), a feature that is likely to become an Instagram favorite.
The S10e has a solid camera suite, but we’re expecting the iPhone 11’s camera to just pip it to the post in terms of overall camera quality. The iPhone takes this.
Software and updates
The iPhone 11 comes with the latest version ofiOS 13, while the Galaxy S10e comes withAndroid 9.0 PieunderSamsung’s One UI skin. We’re not going to dive into the details ofiOS vs. Androidhere; it’s a fairly personal decision, and frankly, you’re able to get used to either. Both are smooth and easy to get to grips with, though Samsung’s One UI is more customizable than Apple’s iOS.
It’s not so sunny for Samsung when we look at updates. Samsung is one of the slowest to update to new versions of Android, and S10e owners are likely to be waiting for a while for the newAndroid 10. Plus, they can expect major OS updates to dry up after Android 11. No such issues with Apple. The iPhone 11 can expect major iOS updates quickly for years after release, thanks to Apple’s extremely strong support for its devices.
As ever, Apple wins on the strength of its updates.
Special features
There’s no shortage of special features on either phone. There’s no fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 11, as it’s been replaced byFace ID. The secure facial scanning tech also powers theexcellent Animojis and Memojisand the same tech is used in the augmented realityARKit 2.0. iOS 13’s gesture navigation is one of the best around, and Apple’s Siri virtual assistant is also present.
The Samsung Galaxy S10e provides a similar wealth of special features. There are all of Android’s usual features, like Google Assistant, but also Samsung’s additions, like thedesktop DeX mode, Bixby, and Gear VR (with a special adapter). There’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner instead of the in-display fingerprint scanner of the other S10 models, but there’s facial recognition too — though it’s not as secure as Face ID.
There are a lot of special features on both phones, and while the S10e sports more features than the iPhone 11, a lot are fairly niche and probably won’t be used by many. It’s a draw.
Price and availability
TheBuy at Amazonis available to pre-order from September 13 andstarts from $699for the 64GB model. It will officially release on September 20 and will be available on most major U.S. carriers. The Galaxy S10e is currently available, andprices start from $750for the 128GB model. Like the iPhone, it is also available on most major U.S. carriers.
Overall winner: Apple iPhone 11
After a hard-fought battle, it’s theiPhone 11that emerges as the eventual victor. Pound-for-pound, our analysis shows it to be the stronger of the two phones across a variety of categories.
However, the story doesn’t end there. Can’t live without a headphone jack, or just love the customization of Android? Then it’s theSamsung Galaxy S10eyou should pick. It’s still a powerful phone with a lot of life in it — and a pretty awesome camera too. But if you’re not that impressed by the Galaxy S10e’s unique factors, then it’s the iPhone 11 that deserves your cash.
